Ice Town: Life on the Edge

Longyearbyen on Svalbard is the most northern town in the world and home to an international community of residents who have all chosen to live in one of the most remote and extreme environments on the planet. This is a place like no other, a place where you aren't allowed to be born or die, carrying a gun outside of town is mandatory and where polar bears outnumber the human residents.

The dark season arrives on Svalbard, the northernmost town on the planet, where for the residents, the sun won't shine for the next three months. Wiggo, the local taxi driver (who's a dead ringer for Santa), has a plan to capitalize on the tourists coming to see the Arctic Northern lights. Meanwhile Ben, an American chef, is attempting his own food revolution, starting with worm cookies.

The residents of Longyearbyen are in the grip of winter, which means 24 hours of total darkness and extreme Arctic weather. After one of the worst storms to hit the town in 30 years, the residents are struggling to come to terms with a huge tragedy. An avalanche has slid down the mountain wiping out many houses. It's a massive blow to the community and its effects are far reaching.

Transport is always an issue in the world’s most northern town. Christine decides to try dog sledding and puts her new skills to the test by entering a 40 km dog race into the Arctic wilderness. It's the furthest she's ever been on her own and will be a test of her skill and endurance. Elsewhere, Mary Ann hires a new chef to take over her kitchen. But it proves to be a recipe for disaster.

As the region experiences its warmest winter ever recorded, the residents of Svalbard witness the effects of climate change firsthand. Chris takes a group of students out onto a glacier to check whether it has gained or lost mass and is surprised by the results. Lara faces up to their least favorite activity, cleaning up the mess of nearly 200 dogs. And that's before they deal with the humans...

If life in the world’s most northern town wasn’t remote enough, Christine and Grace decide to head to a cabin in the Arctic wilderness. On the way they cross a frozen sea on thin ice, and come across a cabin vandalized by bears, a stark warning of the perils of surviving off grid. Elsewhere, Wiggo scares tourists with his grizzly tales of death and the dangers of living on the edge of the world.